Failure
by Danny Phantom SG-1
Summary: Danny has failed a math test. Nothing new, right? Wrong. This time, it causes a chain of events which turn his whole world upside down. Chapter 4 is up.
1. Test One

**Author's Note (not necessary for reading; you can skip this)--This was inspired by my failing of a math quiz today. Yes, there goes my beautiful straight-A average for the next report card considering grades close TOMORROW! Anyway, sorry for making you cringe with this Author's Note (either because you don't care about my personal life—totally understandable, or because I'm sort of obsessed with getting straight-A's and that freaks you out—again, understandable).**

**Failure**

_Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?!?_ Danny thought as he groaned and banged his head on his desk. He reopened his now-closed eyes just to make sure he had seen correctly. Yep. There was still a giant, ugly, red "F" on the top of his latest math test. He knew he wasn't good at math, but this was his third failure in a row. Why couldn't he EVER pass?

Then he remembered, _Oh, yeah. I have to fight ghosts all night when I SHOULD be studying for these things._ He sighed. No one else carried the burden of protecting this town. Then again, he had sort of thrust that job upon himself. Why was he cursed with a hero complex?

As the bell rang, Danny gathered up his things, feeling sick when he touched his vile paper. At this rate, he wasn't going to even be qualified to work at a fast food restaurant in Cape Canaveral…let alone work at his dream job at NASA. _Sometimes life sucks,_ he thought.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"You see," said Observant number one, "this task should not be left up to this child. He is a dunce!"

He was pointing to a screen that had been opened in the Observants' headquarters where a scrawny, raven haired child stood moping in front of his locker.

"Oh, please. He just failed one test. Everyone is entitled to a few mistakes," said Observant Two.

"No, no, no. This is his THIRD failure in a row, my good sir. I don't think he's getting a B in any of his classes, let alone an A."

"Well, that's still no big deal. There are lots of children like that. It's usually not their fault. They're just stressed or…or unable to learn as quickly as other students. That's no reason to condemn them!"

"True. But how many of those children have ghost powers?" pointed out Observant One.

The room was silent.

"That's what I thought. He can't handle the stress of his human life and ghost-hero life at the same time. At this rate, someone could get hurt because of his inability to concentrate. So, you see, it will actually be a…favor, if you will," he said.

The other Observants looked at each other hesitantly, then all silently agreed, nodding their heads.

"Good. I'll go inform our cohorts," Observant One said, pleased that he had finally made a good enough appeal for his cause.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"Cheer up, Danny," Tucker said. "Dwelling on it's not going to change anything."

"I know," Danny said, "But it makes me feel better knowing I'm actually upset about this. At least I know I actually CARE that I'm failing in life!"

Tucker and Sam looked at each other across the lunch table. When Danny was depressed, he didn't make a lot of sense. If he was feeling down, he was feeling DOWN and there was no arguing with him about it.

"Whatever you say, dude," Tucker said, defeated.

But Sam wasn't ready to give up. She hated seeing Danny in this mood. It made her depressed as well. "Hey. What do you say we all go see a movie tonight or something? My treat."

"I don't deserve to go see a movie," Danny mumbled, twisting his fork back and forth in his mashed potatoes and holding his head up with his other hand.

Sam sighed. "I swear, Danny. Sometimes you are such a pain in the—"

She was cut off by a giant crash that came from the roof of the cafeteria. The trio looked up to see Skulker floating above the students in the lunch room.

Then the chaos ensued. People started screaming and running away, as they always did during these kinds of attacks. Danny sighed. He really didn't feel like fighting ghosts right now. Especially considering that was what had gotten him into this academic rut in the first place.

"Guys…?" Danny said, eyeing his friends.

"We've got you covered. Go," Tucker told him, as he and Sam slid over to hide him as he slid under the table to go ghost.

The next thing they knew, he was intangible and flying up toward Skulker.

"What do you want now, Skulker? I'm really not in the mood," Danny said, exasperated.

"I know. That's why I'm here," Skulker answered simply.

"Huh?" Danny asked, but before he could get an answer, one of Skulker's nets flew out and trapped him.

"I was sent by the Observants," Skulker said, reeling Danny in and putting him in a giant claw-like device from which he would certainly not be able to escape. "They don't think you're cut out for this 'ghost-hunting' job (unlike me) and are prepared to grant you a full pardon from it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked warily.

"It means," Skulker said, "that they're going to put you on trial. If you're found innocent, they'll let you come back here and fight ghosts."

"And if I'm found guilty?" Danny asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"They'll get rid of your ghost half for you. You won't be 'burdened' with these powers anymore. And no one will be able to protect your little town from a ghostly rampage," he said with a sickening smile.

He began to fly away and Danny looked back down at Sam and Tucker, who were the only ones, standing dumbfounded, in the cafeteria.

_Oh, yeah, _Danny thought, _Sometimes life REALLY sucks._

**Oh, yes. This is the perfect ending for this chapter. I like posting in chapters and apparently you guys like it, too! This is a new story, so you can start now and review it! PLEASE!! Whether you like it, don't like it, are amazed by my obsessive need to get everything right or ((GASP)) found a mistake, please tell me! Actually, I would like you to tell me if you spotted a mistake because I like to edit my writing to make it better. On with the show…review, please!**


	2. Another Twist

**Hey! I'm back with another chapter (though there won't be more after this for another week or so…but I guess that's nothing new with me…). Just in case you wanted to know, I didn't FAIL my math quiz; I got a 41/50 (82), which, according to my school's grading scale, is a C+. But, it still brought my grade down and now, instead of straight-A's, I have all A's and one B+. Well, enough about me; let's see how Danny's handling failure…**

**Oh! And for those of you who read "Deception", this is going to seem like a "de ja vu" for you _in the beginning_, but trust me, it will become different from that story. I promise. You'll find a little piece of how different they will be at the end of this chapter. This one is scheduled (as of now) to have some DannyxSam in it, as well, so...FEAR NOT!**

"Wh-what just happened?" Sam asked Tucker after Skulker was out of view.

"Danny just got captured by Skulker…and is going to be put on trial or something," Tucker said, not taking his eyes off of the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"That's what I thought," Sam replied, dismayed. "What are we going to do? We have to save Danny, but we have to go to school and we can't just leave on the fly…not to mention we have no idea how to explain Danny's absence!"

Just then, Principal Ishiyama came on the PA system. "Attention, students: due to the recent ghost attack, we have been ordered to send students home to safety. Buses are waiting for you outside to take you home. Please do not panic. Exit the building in an orderly fashion. Experts have been contacted to set this straight; there is no need for alarm."

Tucker looked at Sam, "Well…that seems to be a convenient alternative to staying in school."

"But what about Danny's parents? Won't they be worried when he doesn't come home?"

"GHOST!"

Sam and Tucker turned to see Jack and Maddie Fenton enter the cafeteria.

"You kids find Danny and get yourselves out of harm's way! If there are any ghosts here, the Fenton's will take care of them!" Maddie said authoritatively. "Oh, and by the way, tell Jazz that she will be in charge until we get home," she said in a slightly more pleasant tone.

Sam looked at Tucker and he just smiled and said, "You got to love it when things go right!"

Sam couldn't help but smile. This was true…especially in their cases where nothing ever seemed to go right. This reminded her of the predicament in which they currently were.

"Yeah, but not everything is right. We've got to find Danny!"

They noticed the giant line of kids trying to rush to their buses and started panicking.

"Come on, Tuck; there's no time to get on the bus. We'll have to walk."

"Stop right there!" said a voice from behind them.

They stopped in their tracks and winced, afraid it was a teacher about to order them to file onto the bus. Slowly, they turned around to see…Jazz.

"It looks like you guys need a ride," she said, twirling her car keys in her hand.

Tucker and Sam let out a collective sigh. "That would be good."

"Where's Danny?" Jazz asked.

"We'll explain on the way," Tucker said, grabbing both girls' hands and dragging them to the parking lot.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Meanwhile, Danny was bound more tightly than necessary (as was to Skulker's liking) and was sitting in a room outside of what he assumed was a courthouse. He had been sitting there for 15 minutes without anyone telling him one word of what was going on since Skulker had told him the gist of the situation as they were flying out of his school's cafeteria. It seemed everyone was all sworn to secrecy…or they just didn't want to talk to him.

Either way, Danny was none too pleased. He couldn't lose his ghost half because of some…some…stupid math test failure! It didn't make sense.

Just then, a door opened and a ghost with one eye came out. Danny recognized him as an Observant, according to Clockwork's description of them.

"Daniel Phantom," the Observant acknowledged him.

"It's Danny. And would you PLEASE tell me what's going on!"

"Yes, of course, _Daniel,_"the other ghost said with an air of arrogance. "I will tell you that that ghost hunter gave you faulty information."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief. "You mean you're not going to remove my ghost half?"

The Observant inclined his head slightly. "No. We are not. We know that you are needed to protect your town."

Danny smiled in reprieve. "Thank you so much! I can't tell you how relieved I am! I mean—"

"That does not mean you are off the hook," the Observant said sternly.

Danny's smiled faded and he tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"We will not remove your ghost half, as it is needed. We have decided, however, that it will be in the best interest of both the ghost and human worlds to remove your _human_ half."

"E-excuse me?" Danny said, his eyes widening in shock and dread.

"The human world needs not to be burdened with a being incapable of such simple tactics as Algebra, and the stress of everyday human life seems to always interfere with your ability to 'save' your town from ghosts. You see, we Observants know that most ghosts try to harm your city in some way, and it is our unwritten job to protect the human world; for if there were no humans, there would be no more ghosts. You are the best hope for your world's protection, but we can't have you be distracted by the reality of teenage life in your conquest to protect your world. Especially since you seem incapable of concentrating on both at the same time," he said condescendingly, obviously referring to Danny's lack of good grades.

"No! You can't do that to me! I-I have friends and family that will miss me! Heck, half of them don't even know I'm _half_ ghost! I can't imagine how they would react if they found I was a _full _ghost. Why, I'd be-I'd be DEAD!"

Again, the Observant bowed his head slowly. "That will be taken care of. Their memories of you will be erased," he said, pulling out a small device reminiscent of the device Danny remembered seeing in Men in Black…which, now that he thought of it, sort of reminded him of the Guys in White…but now was not the time for such revelations.

"Please," Danny pleaded, recalling another piece of news Skulker had given him which he hoped to be true, "I _am_ at least going to have a trial, aren't I?"

"Of course," the Observant said nonchalantly. "We Observants always administer a fair trial before executing any action." He answered, failing to comment on the one time they _hadn't_ had a trial which nearly left Clockwork in charge of killing Danny to prevent his evil future.

Danny calmed down a bit with this news. "Good. So I can get some of my friends to—"

"No," the Observant cut him off. "Humans are not allowed in a ghost zone trial. Well…_full_ humans, at least," he said, acknowledging present company.

"What? That won't be a fair trial at all! How can you take me out of their world without their say in it?!?"

"The laws are the laws and we must not interfere with them," the Observant chanted as a mantra.

"Well, you should! This isn't fair!" Danny protested, but got no answer as the Observant merely floated away in the opposite direction as some burly guards grabbed Danny and threw him into the ghost version of a cop car.

"Where are you taking me?" Danny yelled, furious.

"Where do you think, kid? Jail, of course. You'll wait there until your trial," one of the guards answered harshly and they began to drive away.

Danny merely sat dumbfounded in the back of the car, looking frantically out the window for some form of escape. The cuffs on his hands prevented him from turning human and were now cutting into the skin on his wrists.

Danny groaned. _Sometimes, life's REALLY not fair._

**Well, there you have it…a movement chapter. I promise this will be different from "Deception". I didn't realize how similar their middles were until I got halfway through this chapter and went, "Uh…I feel like I've written this before…". But trust me, I have it all mapped out and they are, in fact, different. So, praise, criticism, a pat on the pack, mistakes you found, or simply a word of encouragement are all welcome. Please let me know what I can do to improve this story if you don't like it or if you think it could be better. I'd love to hear from you! REVIEW, POR FAVOR!! Thank you.**


	3. Discovery

**Guess who's baaaaack? ME! Yes, I know, it's obvious and redundant. I just want to apologize for not updating sooner. I've been (if you've been following my profile page, you would know) busy. So…I'm hoping this chapter makes sense and I'm writing for the same outline of this story I was writing for previously, but if a mistake is found, please let me know. Also, is e-mail not working for anyone else, or is it just me? And, yes, this beginning part is relevant and not just a random snippet.**

"Okay, so what's going on? Where's Danny?" Jazz asked, after the three of them had filed into the Fenton house.

Sam and Tucker began to busy themselves with gathering supplies and answered Jazz half-heartedly, "He was captured by Skulker and taken into the Ghost Zone."

"WHAT? Then we've got to get going!" Jazz said.

Tucker looked up at her, "No, duh. What do you think we're doing?"

"Oh! This is too much stuff! How are we going to carry all of it around in the Ghost Zone?" Sam asked, noting that she, Tucker and Jazz were all fully loaded with ghost-fighting weapons in their arms.

Tucker looked around, thinking. "We'll take our bookbags. Just put your stuff into them!" he said, proud that he had thought of something.

"But I didn't bring mine; I forgot it in the hurry to leave school!" Sam protested.

"Here," Jazz said, "I brought Danny's backpack home just in case he had homework. You can use it."

"Thanks," Sam muttered, emptying most of Danny's belongings onto the floor and shoving all of her ghost-hunting equipment into it.

"Now, let's get going!"

In no time at all, the three of them were in the Specter Speeder following the Boooomerang into the Ghost Zone.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"There ya go, ghost boy. Hope you have a nice stay!" one of the burly guards scoffed as they left Danny in a dark, dank cell.

Danny groaned, his eyes glowing an intense, angry green. His wrists were chained to the wall above his head, and they continued to inhibit his ability to "un-go" ghost. Not to mention they were much too tight. The guards didn't care if they chafed against his wrists, only that he could not escape from their grip. And that's exactly what they were doing.

"What now?" Danny asked the air.

As expected, no one answered.

"Oh, come on. I've got to have a cellmate or something. There's always a cellmate," Danny said, hopeful for a reply.

Still no answer came. He was alone.

Danny sighed and tried to sit down and rest his legs, but cursed as he remembered he was stuck chained to a wall. _Well,_ Danny thought, _this is just perfect._

After awhile, just as he was about to scream and let out his anger, he heard a miraculous chorus of angels singing…or maybe it was Sam's voice.

"Please! Can't you just let us see him?"

"I'm sorry, miss, but there are to be no humans at this trial," came the voice of whom Danny recognized as being a guard.

"Trial? This is not a trial, it's a JAIL! Now, let me see Danny!" she yelled. Danny couldn't help but smile at the mental picture he had of Sam grabbing the guard by the collar and hoisting him into the air.

And, based on the guard's reaction, that very well might have been what happened.

"All right, all right! Geez, don't lose your cool, lady. Right this way."

Danny heard the footsteps approaching his cell and he tried to stand up straight and look as strong as possible so as not to freak out Sam and whoever else was with her.

He saw Sam, Jazz, Tucker and the guard appear outside of his prison. He grinned; just the people he expected.

"DANNY!" Sam said, running to his side as the guard unlocked the cell. She promptly gave him a hug, caught up in the joy of seeing him, then noticed he was chained to the wall.

Furious, she put on her most intimidating face and turned to the guard, pointing at Danny's shackles. "What are these?"

The guard backed away slightly. "I'm sorry, miss, there's really nothing I can do. The Observants requested it. They said he would revert to human form and escape without them."

Sam narrowed her eyes at the guard, but didn't say anything else. She turned back to Danny, who was now smiling stupidly at the fact that Sam could intimidate such a large ghost.

"Danny, what's going on?" she asked him in a much lighter tone.

Danny's smile faded and he looked away. How was he going to tell her? 'Gee, Sam, you know that test I failed? Well, now I'm going to be put on a 'fair' trial and get my human half removed because of it! Yes, that's right, I'll be dead and the best part is that none of you will remember me!' Oh, yes. That would go over well.

"I'm being put on trial." _Wow, that was _so_ much better._

"Yeah, Tucker and I heard that. But why? And what can we do to help?"

Danny sighed. "Nothing. Humans aren't allowed at the trial, so you can't help. I'm apparently not cut out to be a human after failing in school so much…if I'm found guilty, they're going to remove my human half."

"WHAT?!?" Sam yelled, loud enough, Danny was sure, for everyone in the Ghost Zone to wonder what was going on.

"They can't do that!" Tucker finally got a word in edgewise.

"Yeah! Danny, we need you!" Jazz agreed.

Danny shook his head slightly, "They don't think so. I'm going to become full ghost because they think my ghost half is the only part that's needed. The rest of me will…well…die."

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Sam screeched, grabbing fiercely onto Danny. "I won't let them!"

The guard (who had apparently left, though no one noticed) returned with several other guards to escort the rowdy crew out of their jail.

"Now, miss, it's time to leave. The boy needs rest if he's going to defend himself tomorrow."

"Defend himself? You mean to tell me he doesn't even get a lawyer? Where's the justice in that?" Sam cried as one of the guards pulled her off of Danny and dragged her out of the cell. As soon as they were all out, the guard slammed shut the door to Danny's cell and locked it.

As the others were being led away, Danny thought for a moment, then turned his attention to the guard and asked, "How is it that they couldn't just phase through the bars of my cell and you had to unlock it? I thought things from the human world could phase-through anything in the Ghost Zone."

The guard smiled malevolently and said, "Like those cuffs?"

Realization finally dawned on Danny as he said, "Everything in here is like that. Human-proof."

The guard nodded.

"Then why _am_ I chained to the wall? You said it was so I couldn't turn human, but it wouldn't matter in this place."

The guard shrugged, "What can I say? I wasn't lying when I said the Observants requested it. I guess they just wanted to see you simmer a little bit."

With that and an unpleasant smirk on his face, the guard turned to walk back to his post, whistling a happy tune.

_Oh, those Observants_, Danny thought bitterly, _If they wanted to see me simmer…it's working._

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

"Get your hands off of me!" Sam yelped at the guard who had carried her all the way to the Specter Speeder. She had tried to shoot of his head with the ecto-gun she had kept in her pocket, but he seemed unfazed by her attempts and merely crammed her into the vehicle with Jazz and Tucker.

"If you return back here," the guard said condescendingly, "he will be deemed automatically guilty and you will never see him again."

"He's going to be guilty anyway! He has to defend himself and none of his friends can speak up for him. How is that fair?" Sam asked.

"It's your choice," the guard said as he slammed to door shut.

For awhile, the trio sat in the Specter Speeder, seemingly contemplating what they should do. At last, Jazz spoke up.

"We'd better get out of here before they convict Danny before his trial."

"They already have," Sam said quietly.

Tucker and Jazz exchanged worried looks, but began to head toward home anyway. They didn't want to gamble with Danny's life.

Sam just continued to stare out the window, tears forming in her eyes as she watched the prison grow smaller and smaller in the distance. She had a sinking feeling that she would never see Danny again, and she hoped it wasn't true.

_Sometimes,_ she thought, _I hate life._

**Well, there ya go. I wasn't actually planning this chapter, but I needed something before I got to the juicy stuff, so let me know what you think of it, please. I tried, but I would appreciate your input. Let me know of inconsistencies throughout the story (which I will attempt to fix, though if it's inconsistent with the show, we'll just pretend it's AU), grammar errors, spelling errors, stupid mistakes…or just let me know if you liked it…ANYTHING, just please review. Thanks!!**


	4. Test Two

**A/N: The next chapter! Not much else to say except sorry for the lateness!**

Danny awoke groggily and realized with dismay that he was thirsty. He tried to stretch and look around for water, but found that his entire body ached. At first, he was confused when he didn't recognize his surroundings, then it all flooded back to him. The capture, the imprisonment. He must have slept standing up. His arms ached the most, having, most likely, held his body weight as he slept. He blinked rapidly to try to wake up and called out in a hoarse voice.

"Hey! Is anybody here?"

No reply.

"I need some water!"

He heard rustling coming from the front of the prison and smiled triumphantly.

Footsteps were now rapidly approaching and Danny steadied himself on his feet. To his utter disdain, instead of the guard with some ice cold water, he saw two very dark and creepy looking ghosts. One of them had a key and used it to unlock his cell. Danny merely gave them a suspicious look.

"What's going on? Are you my lawyers or something?"

The two ghosts looked at each other, then replied, "Or something."

Danny gulped. He had a feeling that this would not bode well. He watched increasingly warily as they removed several foreign and sharp-looking tools from their long, black cloaks.

"Um…I don't suppose those are props for a mock trial?" Danny questioned hopefully.

"No," they answered simultaneously.

One of them picked up a large drill-like object and pushed a button to demonstrate. The long screw at the end spun rapidly and Danny did not like the look of that point at the end of it.

"Where is she?" asked the one holding the drill.

"Who?" Danny asked, pushing his back against the wall to try to escape the impending blade.

"The girl. Sam Manson."

"Sam? What does she have to do with this? Why would you want to know where Sam is?"

"Think about it," the ghost answered. "She comes from one of the wealthiest human families on Earth. Think of the profit a ghost could make off of her ransom. Being ghosts, we are masters of sneaky entrances and exits, as well as hiding hostages. If we could seal her away and hide her in the Ghost Zone, no one would find her and the money would be ours to gain in exchange for her freedom."

Danny thought about this and realized, with horror, that they were right. Sam was worth a lot. But not just in monetary value for him.

"What does this have to do with my trial?" he asked, avoiding their question.

The one who had been questioning him swept forward and pushed his arm across Danny's neck, choking him.

"I will not ask nicely again. Where is she?" he demanded, twirling the drill in his other hand.

Danny fought to breathe against the arm that was suffocating him. He answered, "I'm not going to tell you."

"Suit yourself." The ghost pushed the button on the drill all the way down and Danny grimaced, turning his head away as best he could with an arm across his neck from the sight of the drill getting ever-closer to his arm.

He yelped in pain as he felt the sharp point dive into his skin and produce a steady stream of blood. He tried to scream, but couldn't find the air to fill his lungs and he felt tears flow down his face.

The ghost stopped and pulled the drill out from Danny's arm, wiping the blood carelessly onto his cloak. He pulled his arm away from Danny's throat as the halfa gasped for breath.

"That was a small demonstration. Now, tell me. Where is she?"

Danny stared at the ground, trying to breathe normally again, his brain thinking at lightning fast speed. Why were they doing this? Did the Observants send these guys just to watch him simmer some more? Well, whatever they were doing here, there was no way Danny was going to help them get close to Sam.

"No," he replied, this time full of conviction.

DPDPDPDPDPDP

Sam was sitting in her room, venting her feelings in her journal when a sudden muscle cramp sprang into her arm. She dropped her pen and rubbed her arm, wincing in pain. What would have caused that? She thought of Danny and how defeated he had seemed in that cell, all alone. Of course, who could blame him? They were giving him practically no chance of survival. That was what she had been writing about, but the rest would have to wait for tomorrow. She realized that it was 11:40 PM and she should probably get some sleep, as Jazz had commanded her. They would think of some way to help Danny. They always did.

But, then again, Danny was usually there to help them think of a way out.

DPDPDPDPDPDP

"Then you fail," came a voice from outside of Danny's cell. An Observant strode in, his eye narrowed in Danny's direction.

"What?" Danny asked.

The Observant appeared to be fuming, "That was a test. You failed."

Danny stared dumbfounded. "What do you mean I failed?!? I didn't cave! I didn't reveal where she was. Isn't that what the hero is supposed to do?"

The Observant closed his eyes and rubbed his eye (he didn't have temples). "The hero needs to choose the outcome which will result in the least amount of lives lost. If you told where this 'Samantha' girl was—"

"Sam," Danny corrected, cutting him off.

"—where this 'Samantha' girl was," the Observant continued loudly, none-too fond of being corrected, "few lives, if any, would have been lost because you would be there to protect the town after you gave them the information they needed. The path you chose would result in your death, which would free every ghost to cause chaos in your town."

"They never said they were going to kill me!"

"They never said they weren't," the Observant retorted. "This is our point. Your silly human emotions prevented you from putting your little crush in any danger, even though the result of your doing so put every person in your town in even greater danger. To be a hero, you must not have the capability to love anyone more than anyone else. When--I mean, of course, if--you are removed from your human part, we will give you the ability to feel a sense of justice so that you may continue to protect your town, as well as other emotions necessary of a hero. We will not, however, allow you to care for anyone or anything personally."

"WHAT? That makes NO SENSE! They could have killed Sam if I sold her out AND killed me, did you ever think of that? Huh?"

The Observant shook his head. "The path you chose was the wrong one and would have resulted in more deaths. This is what the rules say. The laws are the laws and we must not interfere with them. This information will be used against you in the upcoming trial."

He signaled to the dark ghosts and they packed up their tools and left, leaving Danny to hang silently on the wall with a hole in his arm and in his heart.

DPDPDPDPDPDP

Elsewhere, Sam awoke from her sleep and began crying at a sudden pang that sprung into her heart. The feeling that she would never again see her Danny returned and she buried her head into her pillow to sob.

And at that moment, both she and Danny thought the same thing.

_Sometimes, life is too painful to bear._

**Don't like that last line as much as my others, but I like the concept of my chapter, in all humbleness. Not sure I like how it was carried out, though. If you find mistakes or if this doesn't make sense, please let me know. As always, I really appreciate reviews! Let me know if it sucked or soared. Thanks!**


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